MUNNSVILLE- The Joint Community Advisory Committee looked at "what if" scenarios built by the SES Study Team for the potential reorganization of Madison Central and Stockbridge Valley Central School districts Wednesday. The study team focused on broad views of possible transportation, staffing, and finances for a merged district.

All of the "what if" scenarios are based off the idea that kindergarten through fifth grade students will stay in their current district buildings; sixth through eighth would attend classes at Madison and high school students would attend classes at Stockbridge Valley.

The SES Study Team rounded many figures up and didn't stretch costs in order to provide a conservative view. The "what if" scenarios are a template that the reorganized board would expand on should a merger look favorable.

Transportation was the first item addressed at the meeting, setting up how the districts would reallocate busing for students. The new route would have high school pupils picked up between 6:40-7:40 a.m., with grades K-8 students picked up between 7:40-8:40 a.m.

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Currently, the districts combined have 21 round trips per day. Redistricting through the projection would require 32 daily round trips. This number would most likely be reduced due to the proximity of the two districts.

The projected transportation will cost the reorganized districts' tax payers around $176,571 annually, around $64,254 more than what the districts currently pay collectively. Paul Seversky of the study team said it was important to remember that these numbers are conservative and that the report adds a 10 percent increase to all costs in case of fuel or service inflation.

Doug Exley and Sam Shevat provided a look at the possible staffing for a merged district, which would see a similar number of full-time employees the districts collectively have currently. The projection does show an increase in costs to pay for staff around $69,188. This increase is to provide additional programs for the merged district that the Community Advisory Committees sought throughout the study, including Advanced Placement classes.

The study team worked out some examples for the district to save money and effectively utilize the 60 percent state aid increase they would receive from the Department of Education. This includes putting some of the money into reserves for things like unemployment insurance, as well as paying off the current debt the schools have.

Exley, Seversky and Shevat stressed that these projections are not only conservative in that the prices are overestimated in some cases, but this study is a broad overview. The study is more of a guideline for the school to follow should they choose to merge.

From this point, the study will be sent to the State Department of Education for review. This study which is not public record will then be sent back for the districts to mull over and adjust and potentially present to their populace for a straw vote. If a merger were to take place it wouldn't take effect until at least 2014-2015.